Hi, I'm Rob in the UK. I came across MMM last August and have been absorbing the principles of FIRE ever since. The blog has prompted me to stop outsourcing home repairs and I'm now on a massive DIY project to refresh our house before we relocate and downsize. (Lockdown/wfh has been a massive help). I have followed Pete's advice and invested in some decent quality cordless power tools (I'd never taken myself seriously as a DIYer previously so had always bought the cheapest tools – not any more!).
Otherwise, I'd like to think I'm fairly mustachian – no debt, home mortgage paid off, modest cars (Nissan LEAF) and we mostly cook at home from real ingredients. I do make an exception though buying extreme markdown foods from the supermarkets when they do their final markdown around 6.00 pm - 6.30 pm.
I'm using the summer weather to get external works done: repainting the soffits and facias, replacing guttering and downpipes and relaying a stone terrace are all lined up for the coming weeks. Then it will be on to upgrading a half-bathroom and a bathroom, designed to appeal to potential buyers (not necessarily what we would choose!). Following that, we'll paint the outside walls (rendered finish) and work through redecorating internally). I'm thinking about hiring a boom lift (cherry picker) for the outside work, which will save time and be safer than ladders.
In parallel, I'm will be listing my vinyl collection (maybe 1000 albums – I have lost count), and several hundred books for sale. I'm taking advantage of the seasonal weather and current boom in exercise to sell some old bikes on ebay and I have a long list of clutter which will be listed or gifted over the coming weeks. Plus my hi-fi system is going to go.
My biggest learning so far is that it takes a lot more work to get rid of 'stuff' than it does to acquire it. That's sufficient to slam the brakes on my consumer habit.
Any helpful hints and tips from forum members who have been there and got the t-shirt would be appreciated.